One More Death in Detention

Moldy Lomalievich Kaimov, b. 1976, was diagnosed with tuberculosis and began treatment for it in 2005. In 2006 he was arrested in the Achkoy-Martan district of Chechnya, on suspicion of involvement with illegal armed groups. Moldy claimed he was tortured into writing a false confession by the Achkoy-Martan and Staropromyslovsky district [Waynakh Online: puppet] police departments. Although the evidences of torture were confirmed and registered by a medical expert, Kaimov was convicted.

During his two years of detention in Chechnya, his tuberculosis was left untreated. In 2008, Kaimov began to cough blood and was diagnosed with infection of the upper lung complicated by hemoptysis. On October 28th, 2008 the [so-called] Supreme Court of the [puppet regime in] Chechnya reached a verdict and Kaimov was convicted twice under articles 222, 217, and 223 of the Criminal Codex of the Russian Federation and received the combined sentences of 6 years and 6 month in a strict regime punishment camp.

In January of 2009 he was transfered to the Nizhnekamsk Tatarstan Republic where, according to his relatives, Kaimov was kept in a facility resembling a hospital, where he remained in stable condition. In May he was visited there by his mother , Damani Kaimova, who lost touch with him shortly after the visit. In December 2009, while looking to get back in contact with him, Damani established through the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) that her son had been transfered to a prison in Kazan city. A little later in December Moldy called his mother. Sounding hoarse, he complained he was feeling ill. His mother attempted to provide him with food and medication but her parcels were returned by the prison, citing that he was not entitled to receive gifts.

In both February and May of 2010, Damani went to visit Moldy in Kazan, but was only allowed to see him through a glass partition. Moldy looked extremely ill and complained about not receiving any treatment whatsoever, adding that the prison hospital didn’t even notice him. At the beginning of June, Moldy started having trouble with his stomach. He did not receive any medication or treatment for this either. On the 24th of June a lawyer tried to see Moldy but was not granted the granted the visitation. The authorities’ reason for blocking the meeting was that Moldy was too sick to get up. Other prisoners who had a chance to speak with the lawyer said that Moldy was extremely ill and that his lungs were about to collapse.

The last time when people representing his case spoke to him on the phone was on July 24th. However, it is necessary not to mention the fact that Moldy had access to phone as the phine call was arranged unofficially. The person who was on the phone with him told, “I had a feeling that he was close to death”.

On the 28th of June after an official complaint was filed with the Prosecutor’s Office to oversee compliance with the law in prisons, the lawyer was told that he would not be denied a meeting with Moldy. That was true, the meeting occurred. During the meeting Moldy was extremely weak, he could barely speak and could not write aside from placing a signature on the authorization document. Moldy died on the morning of July 2nd.

Application of torture against Kaimov while detention in Achkoy-Martan [puppet] police office and Grozny Staropromyslovskiy district [puppet] police office are confirmed with medical papers,
“there are visible signs of torture on Kaimov M. L.’s body:
– Hemorrhaging in the area of knee joints of both legs, abrasions on the left leg knee, which could be caused by firm, blunt object (objects)
– Traumatic amputation of the phalanx of the second, third and fourth fingers of the right arm at the level of nail phalanx;
– Scars on the main phalanxes of the second and fifth fingers of the right arm, which may be due to healing of burned skin wounds”.